Advancement in communication technologies has provided the basis for the development and deployment of new types of radio communication systems. The use of radio communication systems through which to communicate telephonically has become widespread, even pervasive. And, for many, telephonic communications by way of radio communication systems have become a primary means of telephonic communication, replacing the use of wireline, in part, communication systems through which to communicate.
A cellular communication system is exemplary of a radio communication system that has been widely deployed and whose use is widespread. New-generation, cellular communication systems also provide for high-speed, data communication services. A cellular communication system shall, at times, be referred to herein as a wide area network (WAN) due to its typical implementation to encompass large geographical areas.
Other radio communication systems have analogously been developed and deployed to provide for telephonic communication services. Wireless local area networks (WLANs) also known as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) networks, and other short-distance wireless networks, for example, are also used by many to communicate telephonically. Wireless local area networks sometimes provide for cost advantages over their wide area network counterparts, and, for this reason, are sometimes preferred over a cellular, or other wide area network counterpart, when both networks are available through which to communicate.
Significant efforts have been made to provide for interworking between the different types of radio communication systems and their communication connectivity with wireline networks. And, multi-mode mobile stations are available, permitting a user to communicate through the use of a selected communication network of more than one type of communication network. For instance, multi-mode mobile stations operable to communicate both by way of a cellular communication system and by way of a wireless local area network are available. Automatic or manual selection of the network through which to communicate is made based on, e.g., the availability of the network and a preference scheme in the event that more than one network is available through which to communicate.
The network through which a mobile station communicates is, sometimes, transparent to a user as the communication experience, from the perspective of the user, is the same, irrespective of the communication network through which the telephonic communications are effectuated. However, the structure of the different communication networks is sometimes significantly different, formed of different network elements and operable pursuant to different operating protocols. For instance, in a generic access network (GAN), sometimes also referred to as a universal unlicensed mobile access (UMA) network, access points (APs) are entities at which a mobile station establishes an IP connection with a generic access network controller (GANC) or UMA network controller. However, cellular networks, such as a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cellular communication system, do not utilize access points. Other structures and entities, instead, are utilized.
Various features developed for, and available for use in, cellular communication systems are not available for use in a generic access network system. Automatic location positioning of a mobile station, for instance, mandated for cellular communication systems is generally unavailable in a generic access network. Automatic location positioning is important, for instance, when a user of a mobile station places a call to a public safety access point (PSAP) and requests emergency assistance. If the caller is unable to identify the location at which the caller is positioned when making the request, personnel of the PSAP might be unable adequately to respond to the request. Because the cellular-system automatic location positioning procedures are not available in a GAN system, if the caller places the call for assistance by way of a GAN system from a location at which cellular coverage is unavailable, personnel of the PSAP are unable to identify the location from which the call is made in the event that the caller is unable verbally to provide such information. Automatic location positioning is also used pursuant to other location communication services.
A mechanism by which to provide automatic location positioning of a mobile station operable in a GAN system is therefore needed.
It is in light of this background information related to location positioning mechanisms for mobile stations that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.